Editors note: This is the first part of a two-part series about the Mayor and City Council Candidate forum. Part two of the forum will feature the issues of the City Council candidates.

The issue of what role the mayor plays in building relations with Eastern was one question on citizens minds at Wednesday night’s mayor candidate forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

Mayor Dan Cougill and Clancy Pfeiffer were present and were allowed two minutes each to answer questions from the audience.

Cougill said that it is a misconception that relations between the university and the city are poor. The External Relations Committee that Student Government has with the city is an effective medium for students and administers to voice their opinions with city officials, he said.

“The sharing-type relationship with the Student Senate keeps relations good with the students,” Cougill said.

Pfeiffer disagreed with Cougill saying that one of the main problems in Charleston is the poor relationship that the city has with students and the students are very important to the city.

“There is something wrong with the relationship with the university,” Pfeiffer, who was on the City Council from 1977-1985, said.

Both of the candidates agreed they would not like to see the city go back to having 19 as the bar entry age.

Pfeiffer said there seems to be an idea among citizens that he is for lowering the bar entry age, but he is definitely opposed to it.

Although house parties and students going to other towns to get into bars is a problem, there is not an obvious solution to underage students wanting to drink, Pfeiffer said.

It was Mayor Cougill’s administration that changed the bar entry age from 19 to 21 in 1993, and he says he still stands behind his decision.

“I returned Eastern’s reputation to a good academic school than being a party school,” Cougill said.

One hotly debated issue between the two candidates is the apartment inspection program that Cougill has proposed implementing in Charleston. The program would have inspectors go to rental properties and make sure that everything is up to health and safety codes.

Pfeiffer says he is opposed to such a program, saying that it is unnecessary. The problem of rental houses has been overemphasized and if anyone has a problem with a piece of rental property, then they can call a member of the City Council about it, he said.

“We do not need inspectors running willy-nilly around town and showing up at people’s houses,” Pfeiffer said.

However, Cougill said that rental properties not being up to code is a problem and inspectors would not just be showing up to people’s houses. It is important for students who have never owned a home before to be protected from dangers that they do not know about.

The inspection program would be free and inspectors would

not be looking to just hand out tickets to landlords, Cougill said.

Both candidates also expressed interest in bringing new businesses, both big and small, into town to help Charleston grow and prosper.